Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the training available to magistrates on stalking protection orders.

Stalking Protection Orders are civil orders introduced in 2020 by the Stalking Protection Act 2019. The orders can be applied for by the police in the magistrates’ courts. As in all cases heard in the magistrates’ courts, magistrates will sit with a legal adviser who will advise on the law, practice and procedure to be applied in each case.

To preserve judicial independence, statutory responsibility for the training of magistrates rests with the Lady Chief Justice and is exercised through the Judicial College. All magistrates and HMCTS legal advisers who support them receive induction and continuation training. This includes structured judicial decision-making and guidance and training as appropriate when new legislation is being implemented. Guidance and training are kept under review and regularly updated as appropriate to reflect legislative or other changes.